Connecting piece for folding table

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a connecting piece for folding table designed to connect legs to a tabletop, wherein the connecting piece comprises: a base designed to be in contact with the tabletop, at least a first housing extending in a direction along a longitudinal axis (A-A), the first housing having a first end open for the introduction of a reinforcing bar and a second end closed, a fastening portion arranged on the side of the second end of the first housing, the fastening portion being offset relative to the longitudinal axis (A-A) of the first housing so that the fastening portion faces outward of the tabletop once the connecting piece is fastened on the tabletop.

The invention relates to the field of folding furniture, and more particularly, to the connecting pieces positioned between the legs and the flat surface of the folding furniture.

Conventionally, the folding furniture comprises a flat surface or other support surface to which legs are attached.

As known, the legs extend, when deployed, in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the flat surface when folded.

Generally, the legs of the folding furniture are hinged in order to be folded against the flat surface. The hinge mechanism and the associated hinge members are traditionally placed under the flat surface of the furniture and preferably at the periphery of the latter, particularly in each corner when the flat surface is of parallelepipeds shape. Unfortunately, this positioning has the effect that the hinge mechanism and the associated hinge members fall within the field of view of a person in the vicinity when the furniture is in the deployed position, which is a defect from an aesthetic point of view. In addition, fastening of these elements on the flat surface is not very easy.

In some known folding furniture, the hinge mechanism is offset from the center of the flat surface to prevent the latter from being visible; however, the mechanism becomes bulky and inconvenient.

The invention aims to overcome all or some of the aforementioned disadvantages.

The invention relates to a connecting piece for a folding table designed to connect legs with a tabletop, characterized in that said connecting piece comprises:

-   -   a base designed to be in contact with the tabletop,     -   at least a first housing extending in a direction along a         longitudinal axis, the first housing having a first open end for         insertion of a reinforcing bar and a second closed end,     -   a fastening portion provided on the side of the second end of         the first housing, the fastening portion being offset relative         to the longitudinal axis of the first housing so that the         fastening portion is facing outward of the tabletop once the         connecting piece is fastened to the tabletop.

Thus, such an offset of the fastening portion relative to the first housing allows to visually conceal the first housing and the reinforcing bar of the folding table since the latter are thus at a greater distance from the periphery of the tabletop.

According to a feature of the invention, the fastening portion comprises a single fastening member configured to fasten the connecting piece to the tabletop of the folding table. The use of a single fastener makes it possible to reduce costs and to simplify the fastening of the legs on the tabletop.

According to a feature of the invention, the first housing comprises a fastening member configured to fasten the reinforcing bar to the connecting piece.

According to a feature of the invention, the connecting piece comprises a second housing extending in a direction along a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis of the second housing intersecting with the longitudinal axis of the first housing.

Advantageously, the arrangement of the second housing with respect to the first housing provides a shaped connecting piece adapted to the shape of part of the tabletop of the folding table, preferably a corner. The angle formed by the first housing and the second housing is variable depending on the geometry of the tabletop and of the fastening zone of the connecting piece. Preferably, the second housing extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first housing.

According to a feature of the invention, the fastening portion has a shape adapted to be positioned in a corner of the folding table. Preferably, the fastening portion has an oblong shape with a rounded portion which substantially fits with a rounded corner of the tabletop.

According to a feature of the invention, the second housing includes an open first end for insertion of a reinforcing bar and a second closed end, the fastening portion being positioned on the side of the second end of the second housing.

According to a feature of the invention, a projection is provided on at least a portion of the periphery of the base of the connecting piece. Thus, the connecting piece has a larger contact surface with the tabletop, thereby improving the retention of the tabletop on the legs and increasing the resistance of the connecting piece to the stresses exerted by the tabletop.

The invention also relates to a folding table reinforcing system, characterized in that the reinforcing system comprises at least one connecting piece according to the invention, at least one reinforcing bar, said reinforcing bar being inserted into a first housing of the connecting piece.

According to a feature of the invention, the reinforcing system comprises at least a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece, the first connecting piece being connected to the second connecting piece by a reinforcing bar. Advantageously, each connecting piece is fastened to the table top via the single fastening member provided at the respective fastening portion. Joining the first connecting piece with the second connecting piece can limit the risk of rotational movement of each connecting piece.

According to a feature of the invention, the reinforcing system has a parallelepipedic shape and includes four connecting pieces, each of the connecting pieces being positioned at a corner of said reinforcing system. The reinforcing system thus designed allows for discreet reinforcing and supporting of the edges of the tabletop of the folding table. In addition, the connecting pieces being all joined to each other by reinforcing bars, the reinforcing system is self-supporting and requires only four points of fastening to the tabletop, the fastening points each being respectively allocated to a fastening portion of a connecting piece. Advantageously, the connecting pieces are positioned in the corners of the parallelepipedic tabletop of the folding table and the reinforcing bars are set back relative to the tabletop edges.

Of course, the number of connecting pieces is not limited to two or four, the reinforcing system is intended to include one or more connecting pieces according to the geometry of the tabletop of the folding table.

The invention will be better understood from the following description, which relates at an embodiment according to the present invention, given by way of non-limiting example and explained with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a partial front view of a reinforcing system according to the invention mounted on a tabletop, and,

FIG. 2 shows a reinforcing system according to the invention mounted on a folding table in the folded position.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the connecting piece 1 comprises a base 2 of substantially triangular shape. The base 2 comprises an outer edge 2 a facing outward of the folding table 200 when the connecting piece 1 is mounted on the tabletop 201 of the folding table 200 and an inner edge 2 b facing the inside of the folding table 200 when the connecting piece 1 is mounted on the tabletop 201. The base 2 comprises a projection 3 extending over at least a portion of the outer edge 2 a, as shown in FIG. 1.

In addition, the connecting piece 1 comprises a fastening portion 4. The projection 3 of the base 2 is arranged on both sides of the fastening portion 4. The fastening portion 4 is preferably oblong in shape and includes a single fastening member 5 adapted to secure the connecting piece 1 of the tabletop 201.

The connecting piece 1 comprises a first housing 6 extending along a longitudinal axis A-A and having a first end 6 a and a second end 6 b. The first end 6 a is open for receiving a reinforcing bar 101. The second end 6 b is closed, thereby forming a stop against which the reinforcing bar 101 is designed to come.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the fastening portion 4 is positioned on the side of the second end 6 b of the first housing 6, the fastening portion 4 being offset relative to the longitudinal axis A-A of the first housing 6 so that the fastening portion 4 is facing outward of the tabletop 201 when the connecting piece 1 is fastened to the tabletop 201.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the fastening portion 4 and the first housing 6 are positioned relative to each other so that they form an obtuse angle.

In FIG. 1, the first housing 6 has an opening forming a window which extends partially along the first housing 6. This opening allows visual control of the insertion of the reinforcing bar 101 in the first housing 6. The reinforcing bar 101 is prevented from moving in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the tabletop 201 with a first material portion 9 a presented by the housing 6 and located at the first end 6 a of the first housing 6.

In addition, the housing 6 has a second material portion 9 b in which a blind hole is formed for receiving a fastening element 7. The fastening element 7 is configured to secure the reinforcing bar 101 to the first housing 6 so that the reinforcing bar 101 is held fixed, on the one hand, in rotation around the longitudinal axis A-A, and, on the other hand, in translation along the longitudinal axis A-A. The fastening element 7 connects only the first housing 6 to the reinforcing bar 101.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the connecting piece comprises a second housing 8, substantially identical to the first housing 6. The second housing 8 extends along a longitudinal axis B-B substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A-A of the first housing 6.

The second housing 8 has a first end 8 a and a second end 8 b. The first end 8 a is open for receiving a reinforcing bar 101, different from the reinforcing bar 101 received in the first housing 6. The second end 8 b is closed thereby forming a stop against which the reinforcing bar 101 is intended to come.

As previously mentioned, the second housing 8 is identical to the first housing 6 and thus consequently, the second housing 8 also has an opening, a first material portion 9 a and a second material portion 9 b receiving another fastening element 7. Said fastening element 7 is configured to secure the reinforcing bar 101 to the second housing 8 so that the reinforcing bar 101 is held fixed, on the one hand, in rotation around the longitudinal axis B-B, and, on the other hand, in translation along the longitudinal axis B-B. The fastening element 7 connects only the second housing 8 to the reinforcing bar 101.

The fastening portion 4 is positioned on the side of the second end 8 b of the second housing 8, the fastening portion 4 being offset from the longitudinal axis B-B of the second housing 8 so that the fastening portion 4 is facing outward of the tabletop 201 when the connecting piece 1 is fastened to the tabletop 201.

In FIG. 1, it can be seen that the fastening portion 4 and the second housing 8 are positioned with respect to each other in such a way that they form an obtuse angle. Advantageously, the fastening portion 4 is positioned between the first housing 6 and the second housing 8 and, more particularly, at the respective second ends 8 b, 6 b of the housing 8, 6.

FIG. 2 shows a reinforcing system 100 mounted on a folding table 200. The reinforcing system 100 is the interface between the tabletop 201 of the folding table 200 and the legs 202 of the folding table 200.

The reinforcing system 100 shown in FIG. 2 comprises four connecting pieces 1 as shown in FIG. 1, said connecting pieces each being connected to another connecting piece 1 by a reinforcing bar 101. Advantageously, the connecting pieces 1 are positioned in the corners of the parallelepipedic tabletop 201 of the folding table 200 and the reinforcing bars 101 are set back from the edges of the tabletop 201.

The reinforcing system 100 is maintained on the tabletop 201 with the fixing members 5 formed in each fastening portion 4 of each connecting piece 1. The reinforcing bars 101 are each fixed at their ends in a connecting piece with the fastening elements 7.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described and shown in the accompanying figures. Modifications are possible, especially from the point of view of the constitution of the various elements or by substitution with technical equivalents, without departing from the scope of protection of the invention. 

1. A connecting piece for folding table designed to connect legs to a tabletop, wherein the connecting piece comprises: a base designed to be in contact with the tabletop, at least a first housing extending in a direction along a longitudinal axis (A-A), the first housing having a first end open for the introduction of a reinforcing bar and a second end closed, a fastening portion arranged on the side of the second end of the first housing, the fastening portion being offset relative to the longitudinal axis (A-A) of the first housing so that the fastening portion faces outward of the tabletop once the connecting piece is fastened on the tabletop.
 2. A connecting piece according to claim 1, wherein the fastening portion comprises a single fastening member configured to fasten the connecting piece to the tabletop of the folding table.
 3. A connecting piece according to claim 1, wherein the first housing is provided with a fastening element configured to fasten the reinforcing bar to the connecting piece.
 4. A connecting piece according to claim 1, wherein the connecting piece comprises a second housing extending in a direction along a longitudinal axis (B-B), the longitudinal axis (B-B) of the second housing intersecting with the longitudinal axis (A-A) of the first housing.
 5. A connecting piece according to claim 4, wherein the second housing extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first housing.
 6. A connecting piece according to claim 4, wherein the second housing comprises a first end open for the introduction of a reinforcing bar and a second end closed, the fastening portion being positioned on the side of the second end of the second housing.
 7. A connecting piece according to claim 1, wherein the base of the connecting piece comprises a projection on at least a portion of the periphery of the connecting piece.
 8. The reinforcing system of the folding table, wherein the reinforcing system comprises at least one connecting piece according to claim 1, at least one reinforcing bar, said reinforcing bar being inserted into a first housing of the connecting piece.
 9. The reinforcing system according to claim 8, wherein the reinforcing system comprises at least a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece, the first connecting piece being connected to the second connecting piece by a reinforcing bar.
 10. The reinforcing system according to claim 8, wherein the reinforcing system has a parallelepipedic shape and comprises four connecting pieces, each of the connecting pieces being positioned at a corner of said reinforcing system. 